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This course is intended as an introduction to the political economy of institutions and long-run development, through the lens of African countries. The material and readings will draw from political economy, development economics and economic history and cover topics from the incentives and preferences of politicians to party politics and clientelism, electoral models, collective action and de-facto politics, democracy and dictatorships, taxation and public good provision, modeling and measuring corruption and state capacity, contract enforcement and coercion, and political access and firm behavior. A key objective of the course is to, through careful study of African history and political economy, draw lessons on the effects of institutions on economic welfare and inequality, with generalizable lessons for the US/North America, and other regions globally.